Want to store away your summer items? Why autumn is a busy time for loft boarding in Warwickshire

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Dare we say it…there is an autumn chill in the air! Whilst we want to hang on to every last day of summer, the new season is approaching and, for most of us, so is a return to work and routine. If you have been enjoying summer past-times, such as camping or summer sports, now might be the time to pack away equipment ready for next year.  Or you might be swapping your summer wardrobe for your winter one. For these reasons this is a busy time of year for Stu’s Loft Ladders as people decide to have their loft boarded as a way of storing seasonal items.

Loft Boarding Installation
Even just boarding the centre section of a loft creates functional storage space

As September arrives, these are some of the seasonal items most commonly stored in a boarded loft:

  • Camping – great fun and an affordable means of gaining a much-needed change of scenery. However, camping comes with a lot of equipment. Not just the tent itself, but beds, cooking equipment, chairs and all the paraphernalia of an outdoor stay. If you don’t want to jam up your shed or garage, then the loft is the ideal space for storage. If gaining access is awkward, we can even enlarge the loft opening so that getting bulky items up there is a breeze. 
  • Summer clothes – as the nights draw in you may be reaching for your winter woollies and finding it tricky to see what clothes you have in an overstuffed wardrobe. By taking out your summer clothes and vacuum-packing them, they will be free from dust and moths, ready for the warmer weather in 2022. They can then sit happily in the loft out of the way until you need them again. The same goes for summer footwear which, can go into clear boxes with lids.
  • Summer sports – if you have a hobby that you enjoy in the warmer months with equipment that you won’t need until spring, making the most of your loft means keeping other areas in your home clear. Whether it’s cricket bats, paddles, wetsuits or body boards, having loft storage sorted frees up space in the rest of your home.

So, at the start of the new season, give us a call on 07712 327889 for a no-obligation quote for loft boarding, fixed loft ladders or a new hatch. See more about our services here.

How to make the most of loft storage – our top tips for Stratford-upon-Avon homeowners

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There is no doubt about it – boarding the loft and fitting a fixed loft ladder is a sure-fire way to create useable storage in your home, whilst freeing up living areas. For customers who have recently had their loft boarded by our team, or those thinking about it, these are our top tips for making the most of all that new storage space:

Box clever

Cardboard boxes may be a cheap and light option, but there is nothing more frustrating whilst searching for an item than to rummage to the bottom of a box to find it is not there. Instead, we recommend buying a set of clear, stackable boxes. Most DIY stores sell them and often have offers when buying more than one. We are all trying to avoid buying plastic, so make sure they last – the cheap, brittle kind can be a false economy and may crack and need replacing. 

If you do opt for cardboard or recycled plastic (which won’t be transparent), label the contents clearly. Group similar items together and write or tape a list of the contents on more than one side so that you can see the list easily, whichever way the box is facing.

Keep a lid on it

A certain amount of dust will fall onto whatever you store in the loft, so we recommend boxes with lids. Lids will not only keep the dust and grit out, but also provide a barrier to spiders and moths.

Honey, I’ve shrunk the clothes

If you haven’t tried vacuum packing clothing, then it is a revelation. Belongings that would fill an entire box, shrink down to a tiny size and, best of all, moths and dust mites can’t get in! Think of the space you could create in your wardrobe if you could take out some of your bulky winter items.

Shine a light

Searching around a loft with the torch on your phone is a tricky business. LED lighting options are now far more powerful than they once were. Look for battery operated lights that can be angled and attached easily where you need them. LED lights with a sensor will make life easier.

Bespoke options

You could consider having shelving built as part of your loft build or retro fitting some. We are often asked to build-in shelving to accommodate suitcases or sporting equipment.

If you would like a quote to board your loft or fit a fixed ladder, contact us now. You can see photos from some of our recent jobs on our Facebook page.

Does boarding your loft add value to your home in Worcestershire and Warwickshire?

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When planning any home improvement, most of us want to know if the outlay will be worth it in terms of property value.

The important thing to point out is that loft improvements, such as boarding and fitting a fixed ladder, are not the same as a loft conversion. By boarding you are not creating habitable space, even if you install lighting or a window. Loft conversions have to abide by building regulations and therefore are in a different category.

Loft boarding = useable space

However, whilst boarding the loft might not count towards the overall floorspace of the property in estate agent terms, it does give you useable space and makes your home more attractive to potential buyers.

Additional selling point

Boarding the loft is a job most people like to have done and is an additional selling point, particularly over a similar property which does not offer it.

Showcase features

Furthermore, boarding the loft enables you to declutter living areas, creating the illusion of more space when showcasing rooms in marketing materials. If a house looks too busy with belongings, estate agents will often advise the seller to move some items to storage to better showcase their property. Desirable features such as fireplaces and windows stand out more when there is not so much clutter detracting from them.

Perhaps the greatest bonus of loft boarding is that you will have the benefit of it whilst you live in the property. It is very common for homeowners to prepare their home to sell by decluttering and decorating only to fall in love with it all over again. Having storage space creates room to rethink and play with how you use the living areas. 

Loft boarding might be cheaper than you think

As with most things in life, the answer to whether improving the loft adds value is multifaceted. It is unlikely to be a job that you will regret having done as it might be better value than you think.  Contact us now for a quotation.

How negative space is a design positive for your home – creating calm interiors by boarding lofts in Warwickshire and Worcestershire

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Now that we can have friends round again, we may be looking at our homes with fresh eyes. Suddenly the piles of paperwork on the kitchen counter or overflowing bookshelves seem untidy. You may want your home to look more like the examples you see online – more inspirational and less, well, lived in!

Whilst we need to be realistic about how busy homes actually look compared to publicity shots, there is a professional design technique that we can copy to give our interiors the wow factor – the creation of negative space.

Negative space features in all design disciplines, from graphics to architecture and involves creating an empty area to better emphasise certain features. It may be that you have a gorgeous armchair hidden behind a coffee table piled high with magazines or in-front of a busy shelving unit. By taking out the surrounding visual distractions, the eye will be drawn to the shape of the chair making it a central feature of your design. The same might be true for a picture you love, or a light fixture – by imitating the techniques of the professionals you can create impact with the items you really love.

Negative space not only draws the eye to certain features in our home, but can also create a calm and harmonious space. If not every square inch is taken up with possessions, there is mentally room to breath and a sense of order in busy lives. 

Loft Boarding Installation
Think of what you could store when you create space like this

Of course we are going to suggest that loft storage is the answer as boarding lofts and fitting loft ladders is our stock-in-trade. Genuinely, we hear time and again from customers who have fallen back in love with their homes by creating proper storage. Suddenly there is an accessible place to put the items that they don’t want cluttering up their living areas. Sometimes this can be keeping a few favourite ornaments on shelves whilst storing the rest, or putting CD collections that have been digitised out of sight. After all, we don’t always want to part with items or need a “holding bay”until we are sure.

So if the lifting of restrictions and the prospect of visitors is making you reappraise your home, then give us a call. We are always happy to provide a no-obligation quote so you can see what good value boarding the loft provides. Contact us now.

Garages of New Build Properties in Warwickshire lend themselves perfectly to loft boarding

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It’s not just lofts in houses that we board, but also garages and summerhouses – if it has a loft we can board it!

We are being asked to board and fit ladders to a garages quite a lot recently Typically, these are on detached properties with a separate garage, often on new build developments. The style of garage being built by householders at the moment lends itself perfectly to boarding with apex roofs that allow plenty of space for storage.

Use the space you have

With more and more people working from home or running their own businesses with stock and paperwork to store, using the space they already have makes perfect sense.

Garage loft boarding in Stratford-upon-Avon

The photo below shows a job last week in Stratford-upon-Avon. Here the owner of a new build property on the south side of the river wanted to realise the potential of storage space in their garage. We completed a full board, cutting the floor to fit neatly around the roof supports and up to the eaves.

In most cases the space is not the issue but access is. The loft hatch fitted is too small to allow for larger items to be stored, or even for smaller items to be taken up without it being awkward. This was the case at the job shown below, where we fitted a new hatch and ladder. With a sturdy timber ladder, the customer is now able to take up heavier items with comfort.

Enlarging garage loft hatch

We are always happy to quote, so contact us now by using our contact form or call us on 07712 327889.

Hatching loft improvement plans in the West Midlands

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Loft hatches – you might not spend much time thinking about yours, but if it is in the wrong place, then it could be preventing you from accessing the storage potential in your loft.

Moving the loft hatch

We regularly move loft openings for customers to more convenient locations. In older houses loft hatches are often in bedrooms – problematic if it means shifting heavy furniture out of the way in order to gain access. It is also not very handy to have a loft hatch in a child’s bedroom – with a small child evening trips up to the loft are out of the question and with a teenager you will have to negotiate a path through their floordrobe.

Change the direction of your loft opening

Most loft hatches are on the landing. However, if your loft hatch is too near the stairs, it could be unsafe for you to access it and you could think about making a change. That doesn’t have to be a complete move, it could mean simply changing the orientation. People imagine that this will be a messy job, but we live up to our promise to leave your home as neat and tidy as we found it.

Energy efficient loft hatch

If you live in a period property, an ill-fitting loft hatch could be a cause of heat loss in your home. An insulated, tight fitting loft hatch could help you to save energy. You can choose from timber or U-PVC, the latter in a white finish suiting most paint schemes.

Loft hatches – bigger could be better

The other option that you might consider is enlarging the loft opening. It’s obvious – the size of the loft opening dictates what you are able to store. Too small and negotiating larger boxes into the loft will be tricky. Enlarging the loft hatch is one of the most common add-on jobs that we do when fitting a loft ladder. This is particularly the case in new-build properties, which have smaller loft hatches fitted as standard. Again, we leave your ceiling looking as it did before, plastering and painting around the new loft hatch so that it looks as if it was always that way.

No obligation quote

Call us now to get a quote on 07712 327889.

Spring means time to look up with loft storage in Warwickshire and Worcestershire

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Spring is on the way! With lock down measures set to ease over the coming months and, hopefully, not long until refuse and recycling centres start opening again, it’s the perfect time to have a clear out. If you are tackling a project like sorting out the garage or shed, you will be left with some items that you want to keep, but don’t want to have hanging around taking up space.

With a loft ladder and boarding, you could keep those items in the loft and be able to easily retrieve them when you want them. So, if you only use your camping equipment or sun shade for the beach once a year (well we can dream during lockdown) then you could have them out of sight in a properly boarded loft. The same goes for sentimental items like photos that you will put into albums one day or CDs that you no longer play, but can’t part with.

Not boarding your loft = wasting space

We can’t say it enough – if you have a loft that is not boarded then you are wasting space in your home. At an average cost of £35 a square metre, boarding might cost less than you think and enable you to revolutionise the way you organise your home. All those items that you are keeping for occasional use or for “one day” won’t need to crowd your living areas. You could swap over your winter and summer clothes, vacuum packing them for protection. Think about how much nicer it would be to organise your wardrobe space and see what you have to wear. Our customers nearly always have plans for what they will store in their loft and it always amazes us from fishing gear to dance trophies. Really the possibilities depend on you.  

We are taking bookings now and provide no-obligation quotes for jobs throughout Warwickshire, Worcestershire and the West Midlands. Call us on 07712 327889.

Loft Boarding Installation

Looking for storage in Warwickshire and Worcestershire? Why boarding the loft and fitting a loft ladder could save you money

Posted by Stu's Loft Ladders editorial team on

The cost for us to fit a quality loft ladder starts from £295. This might seem like a considerable outlay, but if you are thinking about paying for storage, then you really should consider it. Having a sturdy and easy to use loft ladder means that you will be able to safely access your loft.

Compared to storage facilities, a loft ladder could pay for itself in six months

Storage in a dedicated facility comes in at around £50 per month for a 5ft x 7ft area or £85 for 6ft x 10ft. Some facilities may cost less, but sting you with an access charge every time you want to put something in or out.  Based on the lower of these two figures, a fitted loft ladder would pay for itself in six months. Of course, you would also have the benefit of it for as long as you need.

Every m2 of loft boarding is less than a month’s storage

The same is true of loft boarding.  Every job is different, but as a guide you could think about paying £35 per square metre with Stu’s Loft Ladders.  So, you could look at it, that every square metre is less than the cost of one month in storage. You could board an area of 10m2 and fit a ladder for around £650 total and, compared to the cheapest storage costs, break even in a year. To boot, you will have gained more storage space at home than that cost would have bought elsewhere with all the extra convenience.

Boarding the loft could add value to your home

Boarding the loft could add value to your home. As a job that many homebuyers think of doing, having a loft that is already boarded could help your home to stand out for practical-minded house viewers.

Unless you are storing large items such as bulky furniture, boarding the loft is a great alternative to paid-for storage. Think about it. Your loft is secure and you can access items whenever you need them. You can also store them indefinitely without the costs racking up as they would in a storage facility.

Take a look at our services page to find out more.

Our challenge to Warwickshire homeowners: control the clutter by boarding your loft

Posted by Stu's Loft Ladders editorial team on

It’s not quite time for spring cleaning, but during this winter lockdown space is at a premium in our homes. Our houses have become multi-functional spaces. Bedrooms are offices and the kitchen is a classroom. When the living areas are cluttered and everyone is at home vying for a spot to work or follow a hobby, home might not feel like a haven.

Boarding the loft can offer a way to take control again. You could gain an extra 50% of floor space to use as storage. Make good use of that storage and it could transform your home.

We all think that we should have a good clear out, but it’s not always possible, whether for sentimental or practical reasons – there are some items that we use infrequently, but want to be able to lay our hands on quickly should the need arise. Proper storage is the alternative to either looking at items every day or getting rid of them completely.

Truss shelving for loft storage

Recently, we have been creating a lot of truss shelving during loft boarding jobs. A raised board that sits in the V of the trusses, the shelf creates a handy storage area. This allows our customers to keep boxes neatly at the sides, leaving plenty of floor room to access them. No more having to pick a path around a pile of precariously stacked boxes. It’s these details that make the difference between using storage effectively and not being able to find what you need, when you need it.

So control the clutter and take back your home.

Customers in Warwickshire maximise loft storage with made-to-measure shelving

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Truss shelving – not something you’d think that you’d get excited about! You may be surprised because our customers throughout Warwickshire and Worcestershire do.

Bespoke loft storage solutions

Truss shelving is bespoke shelving that we create to fit on the webbing on the loft trusses. It is an optional extra for customers when we board their lofts and one that is very popular. The shelves create room for boxes in what would be wasted space. This means that the floor space is freed up. It is an important consideration to leave enough floor space otherwise accessing belongings becomes difficult. Often you don’t need to bring down an entre box and its useful to have room to comfortably browse and retrieve a particular item.

Skilled carpenters

We are carpenters by trade and so everything we do is bespoke. We don’t use ready-made kits that are one size fits all because houses don’t come in one size. What we leave customers with is tailored shelving that makes the most of the space they have – we all know how precious storage space is in our homes.

Contact us now to find out more.